Resonance Effect on the Tunneling Reaction: H+H2→H2+H in Solid Hydrogen

Abstract

The tunneling abstraction reaction: H+H2→H2+H in γ-irradiated solid hydrogen has been studied using electron spin resonance (ESR) and electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopy and gas-chromatography. The rate constant for the tunneling reaction in solid hydrogen was found to decrease with the increase in the concentration of ortho-H2 molecules in solid hydrogen. We concluded that the decrease in the rate constant is due to the energy level mismatching between reactant species of H+H2 trapped and product species of H2+H trapped in the reverse induced by inhomogeneous intermolecular interactions between ortho-H2 molecules in solid hydrogen. This result indicates that resonance effects play an important role in tunneling reactions in solids.